PROVlDEiD. The Minnesota AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) requests to continue to be a unit of ihe Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group (AACTG). The Minnesota ACTU is folly committed to the Scientific Agenda of the AACTG, which we have participated in continuously since January 1, 1987. In addition to recruiting and retaining a large cohort of new HI V- infected patients in clinical trials (estimated to be 85 patients in main studies and 54 patientsin substudies annually),the Minnesota ACTU plans to contribute heavily to the Group Scientific agenda with the following Specific Aims: 1) correlate the quantity and replication competence of HIV at the cellular level in LT, peripheral blood fractions and other compartments; 2) develop more sensitive methods to detect HIV and apply these to selection of more effective therapies; 3) define the natural history of cytomegalovims (CMV)disease in the era of potent antretroviral therapy and determine the best assays (virologic and immunologic) to monitor its clinical course (AACTG 360); 4) identify and properly manage the patients who are at risk for complications of the dyslipidemias associated with potent antiretroviial therapy; 5) identify resistant CMV strains and assess their pathogeniciry;6) study relationships between the production of neurotoxins in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of HIV-infected patients, neuronal loss as measured by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the development or progression of HIV-associated demenna(HAD);7) to understand and characterize pharmacokinetic behavior, includingdrug-drug interactions, of antiretrovii als and other HIV"related drugs in biologic fluids. To help achieve these Specific Aims, the Minnesota ACTU has both Virology and Pharmacology Advanced Technology Laboratories. The Virology ATL is focusing on quantitationani characterization of HIV in lymphoid tissue and other body compartments. The laboratory also has expertise in HIV and CMV resistance. The pharmacology ATL is developing assays for simultaneousdetermination of levels of protease inhibitorsand measurement of mtracellular antiretroviral anabolites. The Nebraska subunit has a special interest in neuroA] DS and has identified neurotoxins putatively responsible for pathology in HAD. The Iowa subunit has expertise in detection of hepatitis C and will be collaborating in studies of the pathogenesis of coinfection with HIV and hepatitis C.